Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs held on for a 25-23 victory in the opening set Tuesday night, then rolled to 25-11 and 25-9 wins to sweep past visiting Coker College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Cobras fall to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in league play. The victory is also the 999th win in head coach Shelton Collier's illustrious career.

Senior outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) had 13 kills, seven digs and two blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .323 on the night. Junior outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) hit .389 with eight kills in two sets of action while freshman Anne Abernathy (Knoxville, Tenn.) had seven kills in eight swings, hitting .875 in two sets. Junior middle blocker Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) contributed five kills and four blocks, while sophomore setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) compiled 24 aces, six digs, four kills and two blocks. Junior libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) led all players with 17 digs to go along with three aces.

"This was a fun competitive opening match for us," Collier says. "We had a great crowd, we enjoyed the unveiling of our championship banner from last year and our team played well in a number of areas. We made some noticeable progress tonight, which was rewarding to see."

Alexis Berles had six kills, three digs and two blocks to lead the Coker offense. Taylor du Bray added four kills and eight digs, while Christen Bragg had 18 assists and seven digs. Madison Bingle collected 10 digs for the Cobras, adding a pair of kills and a block.

A Berles kill gave the Cobras a 9-4 lead in the opening set, but a kill from Alles and block from Bludau got the 'Dogs within a point at 11-10. A Bludau kill, followed by kills from Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) and Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) gave Wingate a 15-13 advantage, but a Berles kill and Missy Reid ace tied it at 17. A pair of Attaway kills, followed by kills from Bludau and Havenaar made it 22-20, but another kill from Berles tied it at 23. Attaway answered with a kill to put the 'Dogs on top 24-23, while a Givens kill ended the set.

Two kills and a block from Attaway gave Wingate a 9-6 lead in set two, but a kill from du Bray got Coker within two at 13-11. The Bulldogs had the emphatic response, scoring the final 12 points of the frame to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Adams was the strong server in the run, collecting three aces while Bludau piled up five kills. Back-to-back Abernathy kills along with an Adams ace and Bludau kill made it 24-11, while another Abernathy kill ended the set. Wingate hit .400 in the second frame, with 15 kills and three errors in 30 swings.

A block and a kill from Holmquist, along with a Treslyn Ortiz (Texas City, Texas) ace gave Wingate a 10-2 lead in set three. A kill and a block from Alles made it 14-5, while a kill and two blocks from freshman Sophie Schaff (Texas City, Texas) made it 17-5. Two Abernathy kills, along with a Dunja Sobot (Backa Palanka, Serbia) kill put the Bulldogs on top 24-8, while another Abernathy kill ended the match. Wingate had 14 kills and two errors in 24 swings in the final frame, hitting .500.

The Bulldogs hit .319 on the match, with 48 kills and 12 errors in 113 attacks. Wingate hit a combined .444 in the final two sets of the night, after hitting .203 in the opening frame. Coker hit -.018 on the match, with 19 kills and 21 errors in 113 attacks. Adams had three of Wingate's five aces on the evening, while Holmquist led all players with four blocks.

The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend, playing four matches in the Flagler Invitational. Wingate faces Flagler Friday at 11 a.m., then takes on Lindenwood at 4:30 p.m. The Bulldogs and Flagler meet again Saturday at noon, then wrap up the weekend at 4:30 p.m. against North Greenville.